Division B. Last day of the Qualifying Round - Aug. 23, 2008
Qualifying Round for 1st to 8th Place - Group E

U16 Montenegro - U16 Germany 55-70
Germany recorded comfortably victory against Montenegro in the last game of the Qualification Stage for 1st to 8th place. Thus top position in Group E belongs to Germany, which has perfect 3-0. It is important to be mentioned that Germany didn't suffer any defeat neither in the Preliminary Round. Montenegro is the second ranked team in the same group with score 2-1. In the semifinals Germany will meet Bulgaria while Montenegro will take on Sweden. Winners of these two games will automatically be promoted to division A for the next European Championship.

After opening 3-0 for Montenegro, Germany created 19-4 run mostly owing to Kevin Bright (193-F-92) and Nico Barth. At the last Germany's possession in the first frame Barth made a lay-up at the buzzer setting the score on 10-23. Andrija Mijanovic and Marko Todorovic woke up in Montenegro after that moment. Germany slowed down a little bit which Montenegrins exploited to come on 20-26. Kevin Bright succeeded to return plus 9 to his team but Montenegrins ended first half in style making 8-2 run for 32-35. It was a tight third quarter. With 2:29 to go in it the score was 44-46 after what Joey Ney drained two consecutive triple leading his team to the last frame with 44-52. Joey Ney and his teammates totally dominated during these ten minutes advancing to the semis undefeated.

Kevin Bright registered the best digits for the winning team. He spent 23 minutes on court adding 12 points and 7 rebounds. Nico Bath followed him with 11 while Joey Ney and Philipp Neuman

   Division A. The semifinals are set - Aug. 22, 2008
After a day-off at the Termosteps U16 European Championship Men Italina cities are ready for the major games. Tonight four teams will open the semifinals, while the other start playing for the achieved spots.
Turkey U16 will face Czech Republic U16 in the first semifinal battle. Turkey U16 won a dramatic battle in the last game of Group F of the Qualifying Round. The Termosteps U16 European Championship Men saw the game that could be also named the best in the tournament. Turkey defeated Russia 67:55 and left them out of the semis. Enes Kanter (205-C-92) paced all the winners with 24 points and 15 rebounds.
Lithuania U16 wins the battle between two perfect teams in Group E at the Termosteps U16 European Championship Men. In the last game of the group the Baltic side overcame Czech Republic U16 76:48. Jonas Valanciunas (209-C-92) led the winners with 13 points and 9 rebounds. Vytenis Cizauskas netted 11 and Dovydas Redikas scored 10. Jan Lipovy ended up with 10 points, while David Hrncir added 8. Lithuania finished with a 5-0 record, while the Czechs finished second with a 4-1. The latter already surprised everyone but will not stop and will try to reach maximum.
As we already mentioned Lithuania, they will play against France that won the last game in Group F of the Qualifying Round of the Termosteps U16 European Championship Men. France beat Latvia 88:65 and finished with 4-1 record. Leo Westermann (196-G-92) led the winners with 15 points. Mathis Keita and Evan Fournier supported him with 13 points each.

Semifinals
Turkey -Czech Republic
Lithuania -France

   Division B. Qualifying Round Day 1 - Aug. 22, 2008
Qualifying Round for 1st to 8th Place - Group E

U16 Germany - U16 Bosnia and Herzegovina 106-70
After the first game of Qualifying Round for 1st to 8th place in Sarajevo, Germany already booked a spot for the semifinals. Germans were better than the hosts of U16 European Championship division B Bosnia and Herzegovina improving their score to 2-0 in Group E. Thus in the last game of this stage Germany will fight against Montenegro for top of Group E.

Game is decided during the first ten minutes. Germany opened it very aggressively in order to resolve question about the winner as soon as possible. Bosnia had many troubles with organizing the plays at the beginning while its defense was on poor level. Mathis Monninghoff (192-G-92) and Jarelle Reischel (194-F-92) were unstoppable at the offensive end what resulted with huge 31-18 at the end of the first frame. Bosnians showed slightly better performance in the next period but it was enough only for minus 15 at the half time. German put into the fifth gear after the breather having another brilliant quarter, 31-19. At that point of game the only question until the end was will Germans reach 100, what they easily done.

Mathis Monninghoff paced Germany to victory scoring 24 points and dishing out 4 assists. Jarelle Reischel also shined scoring 23 points. Sebastian Fulle followed these two players with 14 points. Interesting is that Bosnia had three players which scored 10 points Marko Miletic, Ranko Ivic and Goran Vucic. In the last round Bosnia will meet Belarus. However, Bosnians do not have any chance for the semifinals so after tomorrow's game they will continue championship in Classification Stage for 5th to 8th place.

U16 Germany - U16 Bosnia and Herzegovina

   Division A. The end of the Qualifying Round - Aug. 22, 2008

Serbia U16- Ukraine U16 80:57

Serbia U16 left Ukraine U16 without wins in the Qualifying Round of the Termosteps U16 European Championship Men. The last day of the Group E saw 80:57 for Serbia that finished with 2-3 record. Aleksandar Radenkovic (185-G-92) led the winners with 20 points. Djordje Drenovac (197-F-92) collected 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Luka Igrutinovic (194-G-92) netted 10. Vyacheslav Motorchuk (205-C-92) ended up with 17 points in defeat and Dmytro Marchenko (200-F-92) added 12. Serbia will now play the 5-8 games, while Ukraine, will play the 9-12 games. Ukraine will play Israel in the classification games while Serbia will face Russia in two days.
Serbia scored first five points in the game and proved the ambitions for the whole game. Ukraine however waited a bit and then produced their game when they had 10:9 lead. Moreover Mishula closed the opening quarter at 17:16. Ser

   Division A. Qualifying Round Day 5 - Aug. 20, 2008
GROUP E
Serbia U16-Lithuania U16 52:66

Lithuania U16 remains undefeated and thrashes the opponents in the Qualifying Round of the Termosteps U16 European Championship Men. The last victim for the Baltic side was Serbia U16 that lost 52:66. Vytenis Cizauskas (188-G-92) led the winners with 22 points. Jonas Valanciunas (209-C-92) collected 14 points and 19 rebounds, while Dovydas Redikas (193-F-92) added 9. Strahinja Mladenovic (198-F-92) ended up with 18 points for Serbia, while Aleksandar Radenkovic (185-G-92) posted 8. This win is worth a 4-0 record for the winners while Serbia dropped to 1-3. Lithuania will face the Czech Republic while Serbia will take on Ukraine to secure their 5-8 games clearance.
Lithuania was always in front and took the lead from the very beginning. Dovydas Redikas scored for 18:9 and then the Baltic side had 21:13 after the first 10 minutes of the game. Lithuania climbed to a 41:19 half time lead when Pukis made a lay-up, the last in the quarter. It happened after his team had 20:6 in the second period and a well-balanced performance in the court.
The Baltic team scored another 4 consecutive points in the third quarter to dominate the game. Drenovac closed the third at 37:56 from the free throw line. Serbia won the last period 15:10 but Lithuanian thoughts were far away from the game itself. They celebrated 66:52 victory to remain with the perfect record.

Serbia U16: Strahinja Mladenovic 18, Aleksandar Radenkovic 8
Lithuania U16: Vytenis Cizauskas 22, Jonas Valanciunas 14+19 rebs, Dovydas Redikas 9
Ukraine U16- Greece U16 61:90
Greece U16 registered the first win in the Qualifying Round of Group E at the European Championship in Italy. In Day 5 they outscored Ukraine 90:61 with the win in all the quarters. Linos-Spyridon Chrysikopoulos (203-F-92) led the winners with 21 points and 8 rebounds. Giorgos Mavrogiannis (192-F-92) netted 15, while Spyridon Motsenigos (190-G-92) scored 13.

 Preliminary Group A

U16 Germany - U16 Slovakia 96-56
Germany continued its domination on U16 European Championship division B in Sarajevo. This time Slovakia was faced with German's power suffering 40-point defeat. It means that Germany ended Preliminary Round with perfect score 5-0 in Group A. It will continue championship in Group E of the Qualifying Round for 1st to 8th place. Two top teams from this group will advance to the semifinals. On the other hand Slovakia is a fifth ranked team in Group A so it will be transferred to the Classification Round for 17th to 23rd place.

Slovakia had surprisingly good first quarter ending it 14-17. It was a sign the Germans to wake up what they immediately done. Mostly owing to him Phillip Neumann (206-C-92), Germany created impressive 16-0 run for 30-17 at the center of the second frame. Slovakia succeeded to made some points but very soon Erik Muller joined Phillip Neumann helping Germany to end this frame with another 12-0 series for huge 46-25 at the half time. At that point of game it was already clear that Germany will stay undefeated in Sarajevo after five days. Germany played another 10 minutes on a high level setting the score on 71-34 before the last frame.

This time Germany got the most from Phillip Neumann, who collected 22 points and 8 boards. Erik Muller was behind him with 15 points and 6 boards while

GROUP E Lithuania U16 - Greece U16 97:67

Lithuanian U16 National Team climbed to 3-0 record in the Qualifying Round Group E at the European Championship in Italy. They defeated Greece at the start of the second tournaments stage and remained at the helm of the pool. Dovydas Redikas (193-F-92) nailed 22 point to pace Lithuania. Jonas Valanciunas (209-C-92) added 21 points and 11 boards for the winners. Giorgos Mavrogiannis (192-F-92) answered with game-high 26 points but once again his effort was insufficient to give Greece victory.
Lithuania opened the game with a 7:0 rally to step in front for good in this one. They eased to a 26:12 lead after ten minutes of action. Giorgos Mavrogiannis knocked down two trebles early in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 10 points but it was just a spark from Greek team. Lithuania continued their dominance and established a 47:29 advantage at the interval. Dovydas Redikas opened the second half with a three-pointer as the Baltic team stretched the gap to 21 points. All Greece could do was to cut the distance to 17 points at the end of the third quarter however Lithuania quickly restored a safe difference and cruised to the victory at the end. Vytenis Cizauskas (188-G-92) tallied 17 points and 9 rebounds for Lithuania. Panagiotis Papoulias (189-G-92) scored 11 points in defeat. Lithuania outrebounded their opponents 61:21 and limited them to 38% accuracy from the field. The winners sank 46% of field goals.

Lithuania U16: Dovydas Redikas 22, Jonas Valanciunas 21+11 boards, Vytenis Cizauskas 17
Greece U16: Giorgos Mavrogiannis 26, Panagiotis Papoulias 11
Spain U16-Serbia U16 50:48
Spain U16 overcame Serbia U16 50:48 in the first game of Group E in the Qualifying Round. It was a game that remained carousel and Spain was glad to finish the game up. Pedro Farina (196-F-92) l

   Division B. Preliminary Round Day4 - Aug. 18, 2008
GROUP ALuxembourg U16- Belgium U16 34:75
Luxembourg U16: Laurent 12, Melcher 8
Belgium U16: Loontiens 12, Renier 10, Vandenweyer 8

Belgium U16 stormed past Luxembourg U16 in Day 4 of the European Championship Men Division B. The team moved to the top with 75:34 dominating the whole game. Luxembourg U16 however could win the second quarter 14:13, but it was nothing in comparison with the others. Loontiens paced all the winners with 12 points. Renier scored 10, whilst Vandenweyer netted 8. Laurent finished the game with 12 points in the losing effort and Melcher produced 8.

Slovak Republic U16-Belarus U16 61:81
Slovak Republic U16: Luley 17+8 rebs, Sveda 9
Belarus U16: Vitali Liutych (190-G-92) 31+12 rebs, Skamarokhau 12, Strukau 9

Vitali Liutych was unstoppable with 31 points and 12 rebounds for Belarus U16 in Day 4. Slovak Republic U16 struggled hard but did not find an answer for the hot player. Skamarokhau netted 12 and Strukau scored 9 in a 81:61 victory. Luley top-scored for the Slovak team with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Belarus U16 improved to 2-2, while Slovak Republic U16 dropped to 1-3.

Estonia U16-Germany U16 51:72
Estonia U16: Raap 12, Vaino 8
Germany U16: Fulle 15, Jarelle Reischel (194-F-92) 10, Monninghoff 9

On Day 4 Germany U16 beat Estonia U16 in the last game of the group tonight. Another massive 29:9 was too much for the Baltic side. Estonia U16 lost also the second and the third quarters to trail 26 points after 30 minutes of the game. The last quarter however saw 19:12 for Estonia that somehow reduced the gap. Fulle led the winners with 15 points to 4-0 record. Jarelle Reischel ended up with 10, whilst Monninghoff added 9. Raap posted 12 in defeat and Vaino scored 8.

GROUP B
Montenegro U16- Iceland U16 85:68
Montenegro U16: Nemanja Djurisic (-92) 22, Pajovic 14, Djordan 14
Iceland U16: Palsson 14+9 rebs, Kristjansson 12

Montenegro U16 did not have any difficulties reaching 4-0 record as the team stun Iceland U16 85:68. The only problem was the first half when Iceland was even in front, 41:35. A 34:8 in the third quarter however solved all the problems for the favorite of Group B. Nemanja Djurisic led the winners with 22 points, Pajovic and Djordan followed him with 14 apiece. Palsson top-scored for Iceland U16 with 14 points and 9 rebounds, whilst Kristjansson had 12 points.

Austria U16-Bosnia and Herzegovina U16 80:86
Austria U16: Vancura 28, Saukel 20
Bosnia and Herzegovina U16: Ivic 15, Vucic 12, Micic 11, Latifagic 11

Bosnia and Herzegovina U16 grabbed 25:22 in the opening quarter and improved to 42:33 at the halftime. Austria U16 however woke up in the third when they stormed with 30:11 splash. Bosnia and Herzegovina U16 had some time for the rest and then replied with 33:17 in the last to seal the third win. Ivic top-scored for the hosts with 15 points. Vucic posted 12, whilst Micic and Latifagic netted 11 each. Vancura produced 28 points for the guests and Saukel added 20.

Netherlands U16-Denmark U16 67:84
Netherlands U16: Burger 20, De Haas 18
Denmark U16: Haas 21+5 rebs, Christensen 15+10 rebs, Fugmann 12

Netherlands U16 and D

   Division A. Preliminary Round Day 3 - Aug. 18, 2008
Group A
Serbia U16 - Greece U16 77:73
Serbian U16 National Team celebrated their second win at the European Championship in Italy. They defeated Greece and advanced to the qualifying round of the tournament. Greece also booked their spot in the next round despite the loss. They fell to 1-2 record and occupied the third place in preliminary Group A. Greek side jumped to a 10:2 lead early on and maintained it throughout the opening stanza. Djordje Drenovac, Aleksandar Cvetkovic (180-G-93) and Dumic capped the first quarter with 6 straight points and Serbia trailed by just 3 points. The teams kept it close throughout the second stanza and were all tied at 40 at the interval. Giorgos Mavrogiannis (192-F-92) nailed 4 points in a 7:0 rally that put Greece back in charge early in the third frame. The lead changed hands several times before Panagiotis Papoulias sealed the third quarter outcome at 58:57 for Greece. Giorgos Mavrogiannis tipped off the fourth quarter with 8 points in a row and the margin was stretched to 9 points. Serbia refused to fold and used an 11:2 rally midway through the quarter to draw things level at 71. Luka Igrutinovic (194-G-92) and Aleksandar Cvetkovic chipped in 5 straight points for Serbia late in the game and ensured the winning outcome for the Balkan team. Luka Igrutinovic nailed 20 points for Serbia. Strahinja Mladenovic (198-F-92) added 16 points and 7 boards, while Aleksandar Cvetkovic secured 13 points for the winners. Giorgos Mavrogiannis led all scorers with 22 points for Greece. Nikos Terpos (194-G-92) came up with 15 points in defeat.

Serbia U16: Luka Igrutinovic 20, Strahinja Mladenovic 16, Aleksandar Cvetkovic 13
Greece U16: Giorgos Mavrogiannis 22, Nikos Terpos 15

Italy U16 - Czech Republic U16 57:58
Italian U16 National Team was unable to post their first win at the home European Championship. They lost by a virtue of just one point to Group A winners Czech Republic and missed the Qualifying Round. Italy thus suffered their third defeat in a row and remained at the bottom of the ladder. They will fight to avoid relegation in the Classification round. Czech team meanwhile scored their third consecutive victory and entered the next stage of the tournament from the top position in the pool.
David Hrncir (196-F-92) knocked down 11 points to lead balanced Czech offense. Jan Hartman (192-G-92) and VACLAV HONOMICHL

   Division B. Preliminary Round Day 2 - Aug. 17, 2008
GROUP A
Estonia U16- Belgium U16 59:81
Estonia U16: Raap 13, Pold 12
Belgium U16: Vandenweyer 19, Desiron 17+14 rebs, Hartshorne 10, Schwartz 10

Belgium won the game over Estonia in Day 2 of the U16 European Championship Men Division B. Trailing 16:15 after the opening quarter Belgium led the game to the winning 81:59 end. Belgium finished the game with 24:16 in the last period and tied the record at 1-1. Vandenweyer paced all the winners with 19 points. Desiron collected 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Hartshorne and Schwartz added 10 each. Raap posted 13 in defeat and Pold ended up with 12 points.

Germany U16-Belarus U16 87:54
Germany U16: Phillip Neumann (206-C-92) 17+17 rebs, Monninghoff 14, Reischel 12
Belarus U16: Vitali Liutych (190-G-92) 18+11 rebs, Strukau 10

On Day 2 Germany stun Belarus U16 87:54 to take 2-0 record. In the beginning of the game Belrus resisted a lot and trailed only 17:18. Even after the second period Germany did not feel comfortable in the game having 7 points advantage. The second half was too good for the favorites that grabbed the win. Phillip Neumann was unstoppable with 17 points and 17 rebounds. Monninghoff nailed 14, while Reischel added 12. Vitali Liutych collected 18 points and 11 rebounds in defeat, whilst Strukau posted 10.

Luxembourg U16- Slovak Republic U16 87:90 OT
Luxembourg U16: Schmit 24, Melcher 23
Slovak Republic U16: Luley 27+4 rebs, Zibrinyi 23+10 rebs, Jaroslav Moravek (-92) 15+17 rebs

Luxembourg U16 and Slovak Republic U16 battled for the first win in Day 2 of U16 European Championship Men Division B in Sarajevo. Luxembourg U16 first won two periods and had 14 points at the halftime. Slovak Republic U16 bounced back with 26:16 in the third period and then finished the fourth with 20:16. In overtime Slovak Republic U16 was stronger 14:11 as well as in the game 90:87. Luley led the winners with 27 points and 4 rebounds. Zibrinyi collected 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Jaroslav Moravek had 15 points and 17 boards. Schmit top-scored in defeat with 24, while Melcher netted 23.

GROUP B
Montenegro U16-Netherlands U16 93:75
Montenegro U16: Djordan 18, Novakovic 18+12 rebs, Vulevic 14
Netherlands U16: Burger 18, De Haas 17

In the second game for both teams Montenegro U16 overcame Netherlands U16 93:75. The winners took the lead from the first minutes and enjoyed 26:18 after the first 10 minutes of the game. They won also the second and the third quarters to have a good deficit before the last stanza. Djordan and Novakovic paced all the winners with 18 points. Vulevic followed them with 14 as his team is now 2-0 in the group. Burger ended up with 18 points in defeat and De Haas posted 17.

Austria U16-Iceland U16 58:69
Austria U16: Diesner 12, Saukel 11+11 rebs
Iceland U16: Palsson 27+15 rebs, Fjeldsted 15, Kristjansson 14

Iceland U16 won over Austria U16 69:58 in Day 2 of U16 European Championship Men Division B in Sarajevo. Palsson was unstoppable with 27 points and 15 rebounds. Fjeldsted supported him with 15 points and Kristjansson added 14. Diesner top-scored for Austria with 12 points and Saukel collected 11 points and 11 rebounds. Iceland U16 grabbed 24:13 lead after the opening quarter to be in front until the end of the

   Division B. Preliminary Round Day 3 - Aug. 17, 2008

GROUP A
Belgium U16- Slovak Republic U16 81:51

Belgium U16: Gorgemans 20, Hartshorne 13, Goetgeluck 11
Slovak Republic U16: Luley 16, Galata 9

In August 17th Belgium U16 stun Slovak Republic U16 81:51. It was an easy start for the winners that shocked the opponents with 23:5 in the opening quarter. The game was almost even in the next three quarters, but Belgium U16 remained in front and never looked behind. They finished the game with 19:13 in the last period to seal another win in the group. Gorgemans led the winners with 20 points. Hartshorne netted 13, while Goetgeluck posted 11. Luley top-scored with 16 points in defeat and Galata added 9.

Belarus U16-Estonia U16 67:74
Belarus U16: Vitali Liutych (190-G-92) 25+8 rebs, Strukau 10
Estonia U16: Suija 18, Puidet 14+13 rebs, Laane 11

On Day 3 Estonia U16 beat Belarus U16 74:67. Estonia U16 opened the campaign with 26:22 in the opening quarter, but could not hold the lead in the first half. Belarus U16 won the second period 22:15 to stay in front, 51:44. Anyway Estonia U16 was too good in the third period producing 19:5 to seal the second win in the tournament. Suija led the winners with 18 points. Puidet collected 14 points and 13 boards, while Laane scored 11. Vitali Liutych ended up with 25 points and 8 rebounds for Belarus.

Germany U16-Luxembourg U16 100:39
Germany U16: Jarelle Reischel (194-F-92) 18+5 rebs, Phillip Neumann (206-C-92) 16+10 rebs, Breunig 16+8 rebs
Luxembourg U16: Melcher 12, Schmit 10

On Day 3 Germany U16 destroyed Luxembourg U16 100:39. A massive 33:13 was a great start for the winners in the game. They moved to the defensive 12:5 in the second to have 27 points deficit at the halftime. The task for the last minutes was to reach 100 and Luxembourg U16 could not stop the favorites. Jarelle Reischel top-scored for Germany with 18 points and 5 rebounds. Phillip Neumann collected 16 points and 10 rebounds,while Breunig scored 16 points and made 8 boards.

GROUP B
Iceland U16-Netherlands U16 58:61
Iceland U16: Kristjansson 20, Palsson 15+11 rebs
Netherlands U16: Burger 24, De Haas 19+12 rebs, Van Tongeren 6+8 rebs

Netherlands U16 beat Iceland U16 in a tough game of Day 3. Iceland U16 won the opening quarter 22:17 and had 1 points deficit at the halftime. Another 12:11 in the third quarter remained them in front, but Netherlands U16 pushed the tempo in the last period. Burger led the winners with 24 points. De Haas collected 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Van Tongeren posted 6 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Kristjansson ended up with 20 points in defeat, whilst Palsson had 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Bosnia and Herzegovina U16-Montenegro U16 87:90 OT
Bosnia and Herzegovina U16: Ivic 19, Vucic 16
Montenegro U16: Mladen Novakovic (-92) 25+7 rebs, Kalic 17+9 rebs, Djordan 16

Montenegro U16 wins an overtime thriller over the hosts. Bojan Ratkovic made a lay-up with 13 seconds remaining in overtime as Montenegro edged Bosnia-Herzegovina 90:87 at the U16 European Championship Division B in Sarajevo. It was one of the best games in the tournament so far and

   Division A. Preliminary Round Day 2 - Aug. 16, 2008
GROUP ASerbia U16-Czech Republic U16 52:57

Czech Republic U16 won the second game of U16 European Championship in Italy. Trailing 10:18 after the opening quarter the Czechs grabbed 57:52 win over Serbia U16. Tomas Vyoral (175-G-92) (175-G-92) top-scored for the winners with 12 points. Milan Ryska (202-C-92, agency: PPGroup) collected 10 points and 9 rebounds, while Pavel Kriz (195-F/C-86) netted 9. Mladenovic top-scored with 17 points in defeat and Siladi had 9. The Czechs are still perfect with a 2-0 record while Serbia have dropped to 1-1. Tomorrow Czech Republic will take on the local team of Italy while Serbia will play Greece.
Serbia was a favorite and proved it with an easy start. The team quickly climbed to a 15:3 lead when Mladenovic made a lay-up. Honomichl reduced the gap for his team for 18:10 in the end of the first. Czech Republic U16 found the way to tie the score at 24:24 with 2 minutes in the second. The Czechs completed a 15-2 to hold a 34:28 lead midway in the third. Siladi closed the period at 40:43 with 10 minutes to play. Serbia tied the score again for 45:45. Siladi gave his team 50:49 lead after a jump-shot. Czech Republic U16 however created a 8-2 run to seal the second straight win.

Serbia U16: Mladenovic 17, Siladi 9
Czech Republic U16: Tomas Vyoral 12, Milan Ryska 10+9 rebs, Pavel Kriz 9

Greece U16-Italy U16 74:72
Group A of U16 European Championship saw another loss of the home team. Greece defeated Italy 74:72 due to the last quarter. Nikos Terpos (200-G-79) (200-G-79) led the winners with 19 points. Linos Chrysikopoulos (195-G-92) posted 18, while Giorgos Mavrogiannis (192-F-92) added 10. Tommaso Ingrosso (205-G/F-92) ended up with 24 for the hosts and Milan Ryska (202-C-92, agency: PPGroup) stepped up for Czech team as he tallied 13 points and 11 boards in the win. It was a close game from beginning till the end however a strong performance from Czech team in the second and third frames allowed them to score a dramatic victory at the end. Greece opened the game confidently crafting a 10:2 lead early on. Czech Republic soon cut the deficit and trailed by just 3 points at the first break. Lipovy fired from beyond the arc early in the second period to put Czechs in front 22:20. The teams traded baskets before Vyoral closed the first half with a jump shot to give Czech Republic a 31:29 advantage. Czech team opened the second half with a 7:1 run to clear off to an 8-point distance. Greece answered late in the third period when they exploded with an 11:0 surge to regain the advantage at 44:42. Vyoral, Hrncir and Milan Ryska had their say for Czechs as they knocked down 7 straight points to keep Czech Republic in charge 49:44 after three quarters of action. The teams kept it close throughout the fourth frame before Kriz, Vyoral and Hrncir gave Czech Republic a 66:57 advantage with less than 2 minutes remaining. Honomici stretched it to 10 points moments later and despite Greece capped regulation with 7 straight points they failed to reach their opponents. Vyoral contributed 12 points, while Hrncir had 10 points and 10 boards for the winners. Giorgos Mavrogiannis (192-F-92) replied with game-high 26 points for Greece. Tasos Antonakis (204-C-92) and Linos Chrysikopoulos (195-G-92) had 10 points apiece in defeat.

Czech Republic U16: Milan Ryska 13+11 boards, Vyoral 12, Hrncir 10+10 boards
Greece U16: Giorgos Mavrogiannis 26, Tasos Antonakis 10+12 boards, Linos Chrysikopoulos 10

Italy U16 - Serbia U16 62:70
The reigning U16 European champions began their tile defense with an energy-consuming win over hosting Italy in Group A yesterday. Djordje Drenovac (197-F-92) tallied 17 points and 10 boards for Serbia in the win. Nunzio Sabbatino (190-G-92) answered with 14 points for Italy in defeat. The teams stayed closed in the opening minutes before Serbia burst out with an 8:0 rally to make it 16:8 midway through the first period. Djordje Drenovac and Nastic capped the first frame with 4 straight points and Serbia enjoyed a 22:13 lead. However Italy opened the second frame with 9 unanswered points to knot things up. Dumic and Djordje Drenovac accounted for four freebies late in the first

   Division B. Preliminary Round Day 1 - Aug. 15, 2008
GROUP A
Belgium U16-Germany U16 50:84

Belgium U16: Schwartz 8, Delva 7
Germany U16: Phillip Neumann (206-C-92) 14+6 rebs, Monninghoff 13, Heckmann 12
Germany beat Belgium on Day 1 of the tournament. The German side won all the quarters and led the game to 84:50 win. Belgium tried hard in the first quarter but had nothing to do in the second. Phillip Neumann led the winners with 14 points and 6 rebounds. Monninghoff netted 13, while Heckmann posted 12. Schwartz top-scored for Belgium with 8 points and Delva had 7.
Slovak Republic U16-Estonia U16 60:82
Slovak Republic U16: Jaroslav Moravek (-92) 10, Galata 9, Svitek 9
Estonia U16: Raap 18, Puidet 16, Vaino 14
Estonia started the U16 European Championship Men Division B in Sarajevo. The team had already played two games and reached one win in them.
Estonia won the opener of the tournament beating Slovak Republic U16 82:60. Estonia managed to take the lead in the opening quarter and never looked behind. Slovak Republic U16 could win only the last period 23:21 but it was not enough to catch up with the opponent. Raap led the winners with 18 points. Puidet posted 16, while Vaino hit 14. Jaroslav Moravek top-scored for Slovak Republic with 10 points, Galata and Svitek netted 9 each.

Belarus U16-Luxembourg U16 91:58
Belarus U16: Vitali Liutych (190-G-92) 16, Zakhar 16, Strukau 15
Luxembourg U16: Melcher 21, Schmit 8

Belarus U16 started the campaign in Sarajevo at the U16 European Championship Men Division B. The team flew to the win in the opener but then lost to Germany U16 in the second game.Belarus U16 overcame Luxembourg U16 91:58 in the opener of U16 European Championship Men Division B. Belarus notched 29:12 advantage after the opening quarter to have an easy end of the game. Moreover Belarus won all the periods in the campaign. Vitali Liutych and Zakhar top-scored with 16 points, while Strukau netted 15. Melcher

   European Championship Division C. Finals - Jul. 2, 2008
Final
Scotland U16 - Wales U16 102:39
Scottish U16 Team improved on the 2006 European championship result this year. They thumped Welsh U16 side to claim the Gold medals of the 2008 edition of the event. Wales could not put up a worthy fight in the Final yesterday. Scottish players were dominant right from the start and never loosened the grip throughout the action. Alasdair Fraser came up with yet another extra class performance leading Scotland to a stunning victory. He tallied 38 points and 9 boards to almost outscore Wales singlehandedly. His four points early in the game put Scottish side 6:0 up. Alasdair Fraser dropped 16 points in the first frame and Scotland enjoyed a 33:9 lead. Scottish side opened the second period on a 12:0 run to pile up a 32-point cushion. Finally Wales managed to answer with some decent stuff as Daniel Pulman and Adams dropped back-to-back trebles. But it was just a brief display of skills from Wales as they trailed by 38 points at the interval. The teams traded baskets in the third period with Scotland still mounting their advantage. The scoreboard read 77:30 at the end of the third stanza and Wales were done for the day. Scottish team breezed to an overall victory at the end finalizing an overwhelming success for Scottish U16 side. Lee Reilly provided 17 points for Scotland. Jonathan Bunyan had 12 points and 8 assists for the winners. Daniel Pulman and Alex Kilmartin answered with 8 points apiece for Wales. Jared Adams secured 7 points in defeat.

Scotland U16: Alasdair Fraser 38, Lee Reilly 17, Jonathan Bunyan 12
Wales U16: Daniel Pulman 8, Alex Kilmartin 8

Consolation final
Moldova U16 - Gibraltar U16 75:69 (2 OT)
Moldovan U16 National Team earned the spot at the pedestal at the European championship in Division C. They defeated hosting Gibraltar in the consolation final to claim Bronze medals. The game turned into a real basketball thriller that lasted for 50 minutes. Moldova used two overtimes before celebrating a dramatic win at the end. The hosts got to a better start to the game. Gracia and Sercombe capped the first frame with three straight trebles and Gibraltar piled up a 16:12 lead after ten minutes of action. Gracia fired 5 more points early in the second stanza and Moldova found themselves down by 7 points. The home side maintained the gap throughout the second period and enjoyed a 29:22 lead at halftime. Aston-Fox and Sercombe opened up a double-digit lead for Gibraltar at the start of the third period. But Moldovan players stayed close and Mescoi and Cojuhari clipped the distance to a single point with one quarter to go. Cojuhari fired beyond the arc to tip off the fourth term and Moldova were in the driving seat at 45:43. The lead changed hands for several times throughout the final stanza before Mescois three-pointer gave Moldova a 59:55 lead with just over a minute left in regulation. But Gibraltar found time to answer. Sercombe converted back-to-back layups to force the first extra term. Aston-Fox and Lagares propelled the hosts to 65:61 advantage in overtime but this time it was Moldova to come from behind. Carali nailed 4 freebies in the final seconds and the teams headed into the second extra frame. Mescoi drained 7 points in it and Moldova pulled away with a sizzling 75:69 victory at the end. Carali finished the game with massive 24 points and 22 boards to pace Moldova. Mescoi had 22 points and 12 boards in a winning case. Gracia answered with 21 points for Gibraltar. Aston-Fox secured 15 points and 20 caroms in a loss.

Moldova U16: Vladimir Carali 24+22 boards, Sergei Mescoi 22+12 boards
Gibraltar U16: Nicholas Gracia 21, Derek Aston-Fox 15+20 boards

5th-6th spots
Monaco U16 - Malta U16 73:51
Maltese U16 National Team

   European Championship Division C. Day 4 - Jul. 1, 2008
Semifinals

Wales U16 - Moldova U16 68:55
Welsh U16 National Team earned the spot in the European Championship in Division C Final. Yesterday they outlasted Moldova to advance to the championship game. There Wales will face their neighbours Scotland on Tuesday. Moldova will play against Gibraltar in the consolation final. Wales opened the game confidently as Daniel Pulman scored quick 5 points to put them in front. He teamed up with Kilmartin to knock back-back to trebles and Wales led 18:15 after ten minutes of action. Cojuhari scored 7 straight points for Moldova to open the second period as they surged ahead 22:20. However Daniel Pulman and Moore kept Wales close. Soon a couple of treys from Kilmartin and Moore allowed Wales to spur in front 37:30. Pulman crowned the first half with two free throws to make it 39:32 for Wales at the interval. Daniel Pulman canned 8 points early in the third stanza and Moldova trailed by 15. Wales maintained the margin throughout the third stanza and enjoyed a 12-point cushion heading into the fourth term. However two trebles from Melniciuc and one more from Mescoi cut the deficit to just 5 points midway through the fourth quarter. But it was once again Daniel Pulman to ensure the winning outcome for the Welsh side. He came up with 5 points in the late stages and brought Wales to the victory. Daniel Pulman finished with impressive 36 points, 8 boards and 6 assists. Moore and Kilmartin had 10 points apiece for the winners. Carali answered with 19 points and 9 boards for Moldova. Melniciuc had 11 points and 11 boards in defeat.

Wales U16: Daniel Pulman 36, Alexander Moore 10, Alex Kilmartin 10
Moldova U16: Vladimir Carali 19, Denis Melniciuc 11+11 boards

Scotland U16 - Gibraltar U16 103:52
Scottish U16 National Team is looking to improve on the 2006 European Championship in Division C result. Scotland finished in the second place that year but they received the chance to claim the crown this year. Scotland advanced to the title game yesterday holding off Gibraltar in the semifinal. Alisdair Fraser exploded with 31 points and 11 boards and the Tartan left no chance for the hosts. Reilly and Fraser teamed up for 22 points in the first period and Scotland grabbed a 31:16 lead. Trebles from Grieve and Haldane stretched the gap to as many as 21 points. Six straight points from Alasdair Fraser carried Scottish side to a 49:21 advantage midway through the second period. Moreno scored 5 points for Gibraltar late in the first half but the hosts trailed by 32 at the sides change. Scotland wisely kept the home side at bay throughout the third frame and enjoyed a 41-point cushion before the final stanza. The visitors never looked back in the final frame and eased to an overall victory at the end. Reilly came up with 17 points, while Haldane scored 11 in a winning effort. Kevan Sercombe replied with 13 points for Gibraltar. Sercombe and Moreno had 10 points apiece in a loss. Scotland will take on Wales in todays championship game. Gibraltar will be opposed by Moldovan team in the consolation final.

Scotland U16: Alisdair Fraser 31+11 boards, Lee Reilly 17, Kyle Haldane 11
Gibraltar U16: Kevan Sercombe 13, Jamie Sercombe 10, Dale Moreno 10

5th-8th spots playoffs

Malta U16 - San Marino U16 49:40
Maltese U16 National Team grabbed a narrow win over San Marino to fight for the 5th spot at the European Championship in Division C. Malta will take on Monaco in tomorrows game. Bugeja started the game confidently as his 6 points put Malta in charge 12:5. Maltese youngsters drove to a 15:9 lead at the first intermission. Bugeja and Cilia teamed up for 8 points early in the second stanza and Malta stretched their lead to 15

    European Championship Division C. Day 3 - Jun. 29, 2008
Scotland U16 - Malta U16 114:25
Scottish U16 National Team thrashed Maltese counterparts to claim the top spot in the preliminary Group B of the European championship in Division C. Scotland advanced to the semifinal where they would meet hosting Gibraltar tomorrow. The game against Malta turned into a rather one-sided traffic with Scotland having an overwhelming dominance. Scotland opened the game with a stunning 20:0 run to leave Malta far behind. Gatt nailed a freebie to give Malta their first points with just over 4 minutes remaining in the first period. Scotland enjoyed a 23:5 advantage at the first intermission. Fraser opened the second frame with 8 points in a row to give Scottish side an unassailable lead. They drove to a 52:13 lead at halftime. Fraser added 4 unanswered points to tip off the second half. Scotland went on a 15:2 run and never looked back afterwards. Alasdair Fraser knocked down 20 points to lead Scottish side. Bryan Munnoch had 17 points, while Jonathan Bunyan and Cameron Buchan delivered 15 points apiece for the winners. David Bugeja answered with 9 points for Malta. Maltese team takes on San Marino in the lower playoffs tomorrow.

Scotland U16: Alasdair Fraser 20, Bryan Munnoch 17
Malta U16: David Bugeja 9

Wales U16 - Monaco U16 64:53
Welsh U16 National Team pulled away with a hard-fought win over Monaco on the last day of preliminary action at the European Championship in Division C. Thus Wales clinched the spot in the semifinal where they would take on Moldova tomorrow. Monaco meanwhile remained winless as they head to lower playoffs to face Andorra on Monday. Pulman and Trotman put Wales ahead early in the game 8:2. However four points from Rosenal allowed Monaco to get back on track. Varitto, Barte and Souciant capped the first frame with 6 points in a row and Monaco held to a 15:12 lead. The lead changed hands for a couple of times throughout the second term before Rosenal made it 26:24 going into the main change. Wales used a 7:0 run late in the third stanza to grab a 48:37 advantage before the fourth quarter. Monaco cut the gap to 3 points midway through the frame but Pulman scored 4 straight points to ensure a 7-point buffer for Welsh side with 3 minutes remaining in regulation. He then added 3 more points to give Wales a 10-point lead with 34 seconds left and actually sealed the winning outcome. Daniel Pulman scored 19 points to pace Wales. Alex Kilmartin knocked down 16 points in a winning effort. Robert Rosenal answered with 14 points and 14 boards for Monaco. Maxime Varitto posted 12 points and 11 boards in a loss. Wales outrebounded their opponents 53:43 and shot 36% from the field. Monaco managed just 31% of field goals.

Wales U16: Daniel Pulman 19, Alex Kilmartin 16
Monaco U16: Robert Rosenal 14+14 boards, Maxime Varitto 12+11 boards

Moldova U16 - Gibraltar U16 85:40
Moldovan U16 National Team celebrated their third consecutive win at the European championship in Division C. They held off the hosts Gibraltar and clinched the first place in the preliminary Pool A. Moldova will now take on Wales in the semifinal battle. Gibraltar also booked the semifinal ticket despite loss. They will face Scotland in the playoffs. The start of the game was for Gibraltar. Gracia and Power drained three-pointers and the home team led 8:3 early on. But Moldova soon took over and jumped ahead to lead 15:12 after the starting frame. Gracia nailed another trey to square things up early in the second stanza but Moldova had an answer in store. They went on a 9:0 run to take a sigh of relief. Moldovan team kept the hosts at bay through the rest of the quarter and rolled to the main break ahead 34:24. Cojuhari and Mescoi dropped back-to-back trebles and Carali ad

   European Championship Division C. Day 2 - Jun. 28, 2008
Moldova U16 - San Marino U16 64:44
Moldovan U16 National Team grabbed their second consecutive win at the start of the European Championship in Division C. Today they held off San Marino to go on top of preliminary Group A. Guerra put San Marino ahead 3:0 at the very beginning of the game. But Moldova soon drew things even and the teams rolled to a 12:12 tie-game after ten minutes of action. Ribac scored 5 points in a row to open the second frame and put Moldova in front. Moretti and Stefanelli cut the deficit but Moldova kept on forcing the issue. Carali scored 4 points and Melniciuc capped the first half with a layup for a 30:17 Moldovan advantage. Melniciuc scored 5 points in an 8:0 rally from Moldova at the start of the third quarter. He tallied 9 points in the third quarter and Moldova led comfortably 50:30 heading into the final period. Giancecchi sparked hope for San Marino as he netted 4 straight points early in the fourth but the effort was quickly denied Cojuhari. Modlova kept their opponents at bay through the rest of the contest and finalized an impressive victory. Denis Melniciuc led all scorers with 14 points. Nicolai Cojuhari added 11 points in a win. San Marino answered with 13 points from Davide Macina. Three players came up with 6 points apiece in a losing case. Moldova booked their semifinal spot and would wrap preliminary action against hosting Gibraltar tomorrow.

Moldova U16: Denis Melniciuc 14, Nicolai Cojuhari 11
San Marino U16: Davide Macina 13

Malta U16 - Monaco U16 43:42
Maltese U16 National Team remained hopeful about their semifinal ambitions at the European championship in Division C. They managed to rebound after a stunning loss to Wales to put up a do-or-die fight against Monaco. Malta used a trey from Bugeja and a jumper from Cilia to gain a 7:4 lead early in the encounter. But Monaco answered with 8 unanswered points to cap the quarter and enjoyed a 15:11 advantage at the first break. Thirouard scored 4 points in a row and put Monaco ahead 22:15 midway through the second stanza. Ronal capped a low-scoring second frame with a freebie and Monaco led 23:15 at the interval. Thirouard added 4 more points at the start of the third term as Monaco built a comfortable 12-point cushion. However Cilia knocked down a jumper to ignite a 10:2 run from Malta to put the team just 4 points behind Monaco late in the quarter. Borg crowned the third frame with a long bomb and Malta trailed 28:30 heading into the final period. Borg and Bugeja put Malta in charge shortly after the start of the fourth term. The lead changed hands for 4 times before Cilia sank a layup for a 41:40 Maltese lead with just over a minute left in regulation. Ronenal answered with a jump shot to retain the advantage for Monaco. Malta had 42 seconds to pull away with a victory. Bugeja was accurate from the field giving Malta a 43:42 lead with 21 seconds on the clock. Robinaud and Bugeja exchanged turnovers and finally Thirouard committed a travelling and Malta celebrated the initial win at the tournament.
David Bugeja was dominant with 15 points, 10 boards and 8 steals. Mark Cilia contributed 10 points and 12 boards for the winners. Jeremy Thirouard chipped in 11 points to pace Monaco. Robert Rosenahl had 10 points and 15 boards in defeat.

Malta U16: David Bugeja 15+10 boards, Mark Cilia 10+12 boards
Monaco U16: Jeremy Thirouard 11, Robert Rosenahl 10+15 boards

Scotland U16 - Wales U16 97:58
Scottish U16 National Team claimed their second win in a row at the European Championship in Division C that is being held in Gibraltar now. Both teams entered the contest untamed with confident wins in the opening round. And the starting minutes of the game proved they were well-matched. Pulman scored